Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endovascular shunt implantable into the wall of a patient's sigmoid sinus, and more particularly, to a shunt capable of draining cerebrospinal fluid from the patient's subarachnoid space to the venous system.
Description of the Related Art
It is known to treat hydrocephalus by draining cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) from the brain with a drain tube, catheter or shunt. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,385,541 and 4,950,232. These known devices are complex and invasive. The risk for infection is also increased due to the complexity of these devices.
The known shunts are limited to areas of placement due to fluid flow control. Moreover, the known shunts and methods of placements do not work in conjunction with a body's natural disease control processes. Accordingly, in recent years exploration of placement of a catheter or shunt in the venous sinus of a patient has been explored. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,934 and Published Application No. 2005/0256510.
However, fluid flow still poses difficulties due to the complexity of the devices and the placement areas. Commonly, the shunts/catheters are placed through the skull of the patient requiring pressure control to facilitate CSF flow and also creating a dangerous infection site.
Thus, there is a need for an endovascular shunt that can be inserted into the venous system percutaneously.